Stauroteuthis gilchristi Description Continued

1. Arms
   1. Arms subequal in length with slight decrease in length from I to IV.
   2. Distal third of arms without web: Web ends about sucker 25.
   3. Each arm with 55-65 suckers.
   4. Cirri long, up to 40 mm or 60% of head width.
   5. Rudimentary cirri appear before sucker 2 or 3.
   6. Cirri end between suckers 19-24.
      
      
2. Digestive system
   1. Digestive tract similar to S. syrtensis. Note the two pairs of salivary glands.
   2. Radula, ink sac and anal flaps absent.
   

   Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window

   

   Figure. Side view of the digestive tract of S. gilchristi, female, 390 mm TL (fresh). Drawing from Collins and Henriques, 2000.

3. Reproductive tracts
   1. Male reproductive system similar to that of S. syrtensis but accessory gland is smaller.
   2. Seminal vesicle packed with oval spermatophores emeshed in gelatinous material.
   3. Spermatophores 1-2 mm long; sperm 75 um in length.
   4. Female reproductive system similar to that of S. syrtensis. No females examed were fully mature
   

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   Figure. Reproductive tracts of S. gilchristi. Left -  Male, 540 mm TL (fresh). Right -  Female, 390 mm TL. Drawings from Collins and Henriques, 2000.

4. Beaks
   1. Side views of upper (near right) and lower (far right) beaks show general shape.
   

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   Figure. side views of the beaks of S. gilchristi. Left -  Upper beak. Right - Lower beak. Drawings from Collins and Henriques, 2000.

5. Shell
   1. The shell is similar to that of S. syrtensis.
   

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   Figure. Lateral (left) and dorsal/ventral (right) views of the shell of S. gilchristi; drawings from Collins and Henriques, 2000.

6. Pigmentation
   1. Dark pink or purple pigmentation around mouth extends down oral surface of arms for 2/3 of arm length, then becomes lighter.
   2. Aboral surfaces of arms transparent.
   3. Mantle cavity with heavily pigmented epithelium.
      
      
7. Measurements

   Specimen	Male Holotype BMNH	Male BMNH	Male NMSZ 1999058.001	Male NMSZ 1999058.002	Male USNM 893772	Male BMNH 20000077	Female NMSZ 1999058.003	Female NMSZ 1999058.005	Female BMNH 20000078
   Location	So. Africa	So. Africa	So. Georgia	So. Georgia	So. Georgia	So. Georgia	So. Georgia	So. Georgia	So. Georgia
   Wt. (fresh), g	-	-	1200	820	736	940	240	240	241
   TL (fresh)	-	-	600	540	490	540	430	390	340
   TL (fixed)	165	127	364	361	441	418	311	273	319
   ML	-	25	65	60	70	65	43	40	43
   MW	31	18	46	44	58	62	29	30	35
   Head W.	-	22.5	72	65	81	84	45	39	40
   Eye diam.	9	7	26	25	30	28	12	11	11
   Fin W.	18	16	55	45	60	60	35	35	38
   Gill lam.	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8
   Funnel L.	-	9	-	-	27	34.5	25	18	-
   Arm L.	100-115	-	295-310	270-295	370-400	340-380	210-250	215-225	220-260
   Sucker counts	63	60	60-63	58-62	60-65	60-61	58-65	58-62	57-62
   Max. suc. diam. (sucker no.)	2.2 (6-10)	2.1 (8-10)	7.9 (7-11)	8 (6-11)	9 (7-12)	8 (7-12)	3.9 (7-12)	4.8 (7-12)	4.4 (7-12)
   Max. cirrus L.	18	14	36	32	40	35	25	27	25
   Cirrus start	1-2	2-3	2-3	2-3	2-3	2-3	2-3	2-3	2-3
   Cirri end, AI	23-24	21-23	20-22	-	18-23	20-23	20-22	22-24	20-23
   Web depth	-	-	130-150	150-180	140-180	120-140	-	95-110	-
   Maturity	-	-	Mature	Mature	Maturing	Maturing	Maturing	Maturing	Maturing

All table measurements are in mm. Diam. - diameter; L - length; lam - lamella; Max. - maximum; MW - mantle width; TL - total length; Wt. - weight. The table, slightly modified in form, is from Collins and Henriques, 2000.

References

Collins, M. A. and C. Henriques. 2000. A revision of the family Stauroteuthidae (Octopoda: Cirrata) with redescriptions of Stauroteuthis syrtensis and S. gilchristi. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K., 80: 685-697.